Atrum Erus
Atrum Erus, formerly known as Jon Cire, and also known as the knight errant Cyre '''and the Kinshra '''Cortanis Dartmoor, is a shade currently residing as a knight of the Kinshra in the Kingdom of Asgarnia, and was previously the former Lord Baron of the Knights Kinshra. Born in a quiet, rural region in the northern reaches of the kingdom, Atrum had several siblings, most of whom considered him a pariah. Eventually, the young man chose to enlist himself in the Kinshra, out of spite for the family who had pledged themselves to the cause of the White Knights. Atrum was present for many incidents in the Kinshra, amongst which included the Edgeville Incident and the War of 164, where he personally operated under the command of the future Lord Daquarius. At the war's conclusion, Atrum continued to serve faithfully as one of Daquarius' men, assuming the rank of Knight Captain. After several events, usually involving the World Guardian, the Kinshra began to suffer a wave of dissent and Daquarius temporarily withdrew into hiding. Atrum served the succeeding lords with various degrees of loyalty, but ambition secretly burned within him. He got his chance when he was able to kill both his liege lord and his own father in a border skirmish with the White Knights. Seizing power, Atrum proclaimed himself as Lord Atrum Erus of the Kinshra Knights. He subsequently led the Knights Kinshra to several victories, nearly achieving victory over their hated rivals, if not for the blade that wedged itself into his heart, courtesy of his own brother. Atrum perished within the city of Falador, and would have remained that way, were it not for the sudden intervention of the entity calling itself Umbra. Promising him vast amounts of power, Umbra was able to strike a deal with the dead lord, and send him back to Gielinor as an unholy abomination: a shade, whose very soul had been corrupted into an ever-shifting mass of shadows. Atrum soon managed to re-adjust himself to the world of the living, and cooperated with several Lords of the Kinshra, eventually re-assuming power himself. This dominion was short-lived, as he was soon banished from the realm due to a skirmish with the Nourom Coven. In due time, however, Atrum returned, and shortly thereafter, swore an oath of allegiance to the Baroness and Baron of the Kinshra: Keltsun Sulla and Xandres Zarco. Proving himself a capable soldier and leader, Atrum rose through the ranks yet again, becoming a trusted member of the order, even once again achieving lordship. He participated in numerous noteworthy events, and upon the disappearance of Keltsun and Xandres, assumed power yet again. From then on, it was a constant battle with enemies from without, such as New Haven, the Holy Asgarnian Empire, the Commonwealth of Gielinor, and the Dark Moon, and enemies from within, including some of his own lords. The balance of power continually see-sawed, and one day, Atrum was outright removed from the order, his position usurped by the future Grand Master Carter Simmons. Donning the old armour of a knight errant, Atrum became the wanderer known as Cyre, eventually finding service in Misthalin and becoming one of King Aaron Lansing's personal soldiers. For a short while, Atrum served faithfully, but soon became disillusioned, particularly after the vampyric invasion across the Salve, and was re-invited back to the Kinshra Order. His rule was brief, and he was soon ousted by the Lord Deracot. Atrum briefly showed his face at the coronation of Andreas de Moselle, then vanished for a long period of time. He later reappeared in the court of King James, of House Grey. Swearing allegiance to the crown, Atrum became a Knight of Asgarnia, bearing that distinction until the reign of Varis III, during which he supposedly died when transporting the body of Arthur Harawood. Atrum reappeared under the guise of Cortanis Dartmoor, the younger son of the lord Dartmoor, a powerful noble within the North of Asgarnia. Rejoining the Kinshra, Atrum instigated the Insurrection, a large-scale rebellion against Varis in response to the increasingly corrupt actions of his councilors. Although the large-scale effort ultimately failed, Atrum was not deterred in his efforts to 'purify' Asgarnia of the corruption he perceived. When the Kinshra made peace with Queen Erysail, however, he left in disgust at the terms that appeared to weaken the Kinshra Order. At some point, he allied with the Zamorakian sorcerer Ahriman to claim victory in the Second God Wars. Butting heads several times with the Kinshra Baron Cyrus Zarco, responsible for the Erysailite agreement, during his tenure as Ahriman's envoy to Asgarnia, Atrum ultimately rejoined the Order yet again on Zarco's death, ingratiating himself as a trusted lieutenant of Samael Armons. Samael and Atrum together formed a peace agreement with Asgarnia, and began furthering the extent of Kinshra power once again, which had since waned under previous leaders. Presently, he remains a Kinshra loyalist and one of the now-Baron Samael's closest and most trusted officers. He is roleplayed by Siberys. Biography Pre-Birth The man who would eventually become Atrum Erus was the offspring of Sir William Cire of the White Knights, and his wife, Mary. Sir William was the younger son of one of the White City's most prestigious families. Having little chance at inheriting the titles and lands of his noble house, William enlisted into the Order of the White Knights. William Cire joined the order at a time of change, for His Majesty King Vallance had just assumed the throne. William served the order in an adequate capacity, being knighted only a few years later. The newly made knight assisted the realm by fighting off the occasional bandits and incursions of hostile entities onto sovereign soil. Assisting him in this endeavor was his friend and fellow nobleman, Sir Laeras Belerion. It was during one such skirmish with a band of marauders that William Cire made what men would later refer to as a grave error: he fell in love. Mary Rivers was the daughter of a poor farmer living in the rural areas of northern Asgarnia. The area in which the family lived was an unfortunate target of many a raid by nearby goblins or bandits. The Black Knights, who technically possessed viceroyalty of the region, were otherwise engaged in other skirmishes, largely with the uncivilized peoples north of their grand fortress, whose homes they had recently displaced in an attempt to bring order to the area. The affairs of dealing with this region were therefore left to the White Knights, and later became a hot point of contention between the two orders in later years. Sir William, in a gallant display of arms, rescued the lady's family, and immediately afterwards, fell violently in love with her for reasons historians have only been able to guess at. Sir Laeras noted, upon his return from the skirmish, that there was "little elegance in whatever beauty she possessed. She was not an ugly woman, nor was she astonishingly attractive. Belike that there was something William saw in her that I did not." Whatever the reason, Sir William was determined to win the love of Mary Rivers, much against the advice of his comrade Sir Laeras, who opined that his lord father and lady mother would likely not approve of the large gap in personal status. William ignored the cautions provided by his friend, and proceeded to court the peasant girl amorously. Soon enough, his affections were slowly returned and Sir William promptly married the girl. As Laeras predicted, however, the rest of House Cire was most unamused, and pointedly barred William from the succession, should his older brother die without issue, instead passing it on to the youngest of the three brothers. William thereupon moved to the farmland of northern Asgarnia, where he would stay, except for when his duty called him thither. Mary gave birth to several healthy sons and daughters, delighting Sir William. Sir Laeras, despite his misgivings about the cause of William's expulsion from his noble house, visited regularly, and William soon named him godfather of his entire offspring, current and future. As Sir William and Sir Laeras set off to repulse an uprising in the south of Asgarnia, Mary grew heavy with child once more. Though none yet knew it at the time, this infant would be the undoing of the realm. Birth Personality Appearance Equipment Abilities Relationships Trivia Category:Kinshra Category:Shade Category:Characters Category:Male Category:Lawful Category:Neutral Category:Mysterious Characters Category:Dark Magic user Category:Cursed Category:Undead Category:Knight Category:Military Category:Warrior Category:Commander Category:Incomplete Articles